Monday, May 29, 2006

Fire Mike Hargrove!

Now. With as terrible as the M's are playing, they still have a shot in the West. If you replace Hargrove and the team goes on a little run, then you can make a deal at the deadline to replace whomever is still sucking the most from among Everett, Reed, Beltre and Sexson. My list of gripes against Grover is long and I don't want to make this a megapost but here are the top 5.

1. The ridiculous agressive baserunning. If you are the Angels and have a lineup of good, smart baserunners you can have push for the extra base. For the 2006 Mariners, it just ain't working. How many more triple plays does it take?

2. The Bunting! Especially Lopez. He's by some measures your most valuable hitter and you are having him give up outs to set up Sexson, Everett and Beltre. Insane.

3. The "Closer." Even though he refuses to call Putz the closer, he is treating him like one, refusing to let him pitch in a tie game on the road. He is letting the definition of a save define his bullpen usage, rather than using his top guys when he needs them.

4. The 12 man pen. The twelfth guy in the pen, whom Hargrove insists he needs, has just plain sucked. Whether it was Harris or Nageotte or Livingston, this player has added no value. As bad as the M's offense is, they could have used some more bats on the bench this season, which brings us to:

5. The Set line-up. If you are the 95 Indians, a set lineup is a fine idea. If you are the 2006 Mariners and you have the middle of your order hovering around the Mendoza line, its suicide. Beltre and Sexson are struggling big-time! They could use a day off! Everett and Ibanez are way on the wrong side of 30, they could use a day off! Japanese players often need a lot of rest in their first season stateside, because of the longer season, the inceased travel, the cultural adjustments. Find Johjima more than a day off every couple of weeks! Argggh!